


Asking For Help

by Jathis



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fibro Cecil, Gen, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Native American Cecil, Native American Character(s), Native American Earl Harlan, Trans Carlos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 23:45:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4938556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/pseuds/Jathis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Earl has scars that run deep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Asking For Help

They were both woken up by the sound of Cecil's cellphone going off late at night. Carlos yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Cecil fumbled around in the darkness to answer his phone. From the corner of his eye Carlos spotted a few spiders scrambling off of the bed and he frowned, making a note to ask about them in the morning. He looked back at Cecil, waiting to hear what was going on.

Cecil was whispering rapidly into his phone. He frowned as he listened for a moment, pursing his lips. A moment later he was whispering again. He glanced over at Carlos and gave him a reassuring smile and a little wave of his hand. A moment later he hung up and was getting out of bed.

“Is everything okay?” Carlos asked.

“Everything is fine! Earl had a nightmare and almost attacked his son Roger. He's locked in his bedroom having a mental breakdown at the moment. That was Roger on a phone.”

“What?!”

“It's okay! Earl snapped out of it before he could hurt him! Roger is going to earn his 'Avoid Death In The Middle of The Night' badge in no time at all!” Cecil assured him. He started to slip on his favorite fish print skirt, raising an eyebrow at the look on Carlos' face. “Do you want to come with me?”

“Yes!” Carlos shouted. He threw on his panic lab coat in a flash, bolting for the door.

“Carlos! Wait for me!” Cecil called out, following after him.

* * *

Roger opened the door for them. He blinked up at the pair, stepping back to let them in. He was wearing his favorite scorpion pajamas tonight. The tail twitched behind him as he started to lead them to his father's bedroom. He winced as he heard a muffled sob from inside, pointing at the door.

Cecil nodded grimly, raising up his cane and rapping on the door with the end of it. “Early? Early, you okay?” Carlos winced as he heard the sound of furniture being smashed. Cecil however looked perfectly calm, setting his cane down to lean on it with both hands resting on top. “Early, open the door for me, okay?”

“Cecil...” Carlos whispered.

There was a long stretch of silence and then it was broken by the sound of the lock being undone and Cecil winked at Carlos and Roger before stepping inside, shutting the door behind him. He sighed at the state of Earl's room, noting all of the broken and whimpering furniture. “Earl...you shouldn't hurt your furniture like that!”

“What do you want?” Earl mumbled. He sat on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest with his face buried between them.

“I'm here to help.”

“I'm a horrible father.”

“That's not what Roger says.”

“I could have killed him.”

“But you stopped yourself.”

“...what if I can't next time?”

Cecil approached Earl, looking down at him. “You're a good father. You're a good cook and you were a good Scoutmaster. You are also a good friend to me, Earl. Maybe you should take Josie's offer and let one of her Erikas talk to you about what happened in that Other Desert after that ceremony.”

“People will think I'm mad.”

“So?”

“Cecil...”

“Early.”

Earl sighed, rubbing at the hole where one of his eyes used to be. “Roger...is he..?”

“He's the one who called us.”

“Oh.”

“He's a strong boy.”

“Yeah...”

“He loves his father very much,” Cecil added.

Earl blushed and pushed himself up onto his feet. “Thank you, Cecil.” Cecil just smiled at him and Earl moved to open the door, blinking as he looked down at Roger who stood there patiently for him. “Hey...” he mumbled.

“Carlos, can you leave me a note to remember to ask Josie about the Erikas?” Cecil asked.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, Early is going to go and sit and talk with one,” Cecil assured him. The pair watched as Earl bent down to hug Roger, his hands shaking as the boy hugged him around his neck. “I think he's okay for the night but just to be sure we'll sleep on the couch here, okay?”

Carlos nodded his head, searching for blankets to use.

 


End file.
